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On September 3rd, 2025, the NBA world was rocked by a stunning revelation: All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard was allegedly linked to a $28 million fraudulent endorsement deal with Aspiration, a now-bankrupt “green” financial company. The explosive report, released by journalist Pablo Torre, accused Leonard of receiving millions for a no-show job that involved no public promotions, campaigns, or media appearances — essentially collecting payment for doing nothing.

What made this story even more explosive was the potential violation of NBA salary cap rules, which prohibit undisclosed third-party payments to players. Torre uncovered over 3,000 pages of legal documents and spoke to seven former Aspiration employees, who claimed the deal with Leonard was part of an elaborate salary cap circumvention scheme, one described as the most sophisticated in NBA history.

The Alleged “No-Show” Deal

Leonard’s company, KL2Aspire LLC, reportedly signed a deal with Aspiration in April 2022, under terms that allowed Leonard to refuse any promotional requests and still receive full payment. The contract included a clause tying payment to Leonard’s continued presence on the Clippers roster, raising serious questions about whether the deal was meant to function as unofficial compensation from the team.

Leonard’s involvement with Aspiration was virtually invisible. Unlike other celebrity endorsers like Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert Downey Jr., Drake, and even Clippers coach Doc Rivers, Leonard never made posts, appeared in ads, or participated in public campaigns — except for a single 2023 tweet from the Clippers account about planting trees. That tweet, in hindsight, seems comically insufficient for the largest marketing payment in Aspiration’s history.

Former Aspiration staff admitted the deal was deliberately designed to avoid scrutiny, with one finance employee revealing they were instructed not to ask questions because the purpose was “cap circumvention.”

Steve Ballmer, Uncle Dennis, and the Bigger Picture

The scandal widens with the involvement of Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, who personally invested $50 million into Aspiration before the Clippers secured a $300 million sponsorship deal with the company in 2021. The suspicious timing — including an additional $120 million “side deal” tied to Leonard — painted a picture too coordinated to be coincidence.

Central to this deal is Dennis Robertson, Leonard’s uncle and longtime advisor, who has a history of demanding questionable perks during free agency, including private planes and team ownership stakes. The NBA previously dismissed those demands as hearsay, but this new scandal has brought them back into the spotlight.

Stephen A. Smith Goes Off

ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith unleashed a fiery rant on First Take the day the story broke, calling Leonard “the worst superstar in sports history.” He criticized Leonard’s chronic absences, lack of media engagement, and his tendency to collect massive paychecks while rarely playing.

“He is a walking absentee. He doesn’t talk. He doesn’t promote. He doesn’t play. He just gets paid,” Smith said, connecting the $28 million Aspiration deal to Leonard’s broader career pattern of low effort and high rewards.

Smith also pointed out that Leonard has missed over 40% of games since joining the Clippers in 2019, while earning $43.3 million per year.

NBA Launches Investigation

The NBA acted swiftly. Within hours of the report, league spokesperson Mike Bass confirmed an official investigation into potential violations of Section 13 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, which strictly bans undisclosed third-party payments. If the allegations are proven true, the Clippers could face severe penalties, including:

Up to $7.5 million in fines

Loss of draft picks

Voidable player contracts

Year-long suspensions for team executives

Observers are already comparing this to the infamous Joe Smith case in 2000, when the Minnesota Timberwolves lost five draft picks for similar cap violations — a scandal that now pales in comparison to the potential $48 million side agreement in the Leonard-Aspiration case.

Ballmer Claims He Was “Conned”

Appearing on SportsCenter, Clippers owner Steve Ballmer claimed he had no knowledge of any wrongdoing and said he was duped by Aspiration’s founders, who are now facing federal charges. Ballmer insisted that Leonard was only introduced to Aspiration after the Clippers had finalized their partnership and denied any effort to cheat the salary cap.

Former Mavericks owner Mark Cuban defended Ballmer online, arguing that a billionaire like Ballmer had no reason to jeopardize his reputation over a player deal. Cuban also questioned how a fraud of this scale could help if Aspiration ultimately went bankrupt.

Kawhi’s History of Controversy

This scandal is not an isolated incident in Kawhi Leonard’s career. His time in the NBA has been filled with controversy and tension, including:

A 2018 fallout with the San Antonio Spurs over injury management, which led to his trade.

The load management era with the Clippers, where he played in just 52% of regular season games.

A 2019 free agency saga involving reports that Uncle Dennis demanded illegal perks from the Lakers and Raptors.

A 2023 lawsuit from a former Clippers performance coach alleging medical malpractice and mismanagement of Leonard’s injuries.

Legacy in Jeopardy

Despite his controversial behavior, Leonard’s on-court resume is elite:

2× NBA Champion

2× Finals MVP

2× Defensive Player of the Year

6× All-Star

Multiple All-NBA and All-Defensive honors

Over $325 million in NBA salary

Net worth estimated at $120 million

Leonard has kept a notoriously private and low-key lifestyle, famously still driving his 1997 Chevy Tahoe, living modestly despite his wealth. But that mystique has now been replaced with skepticism and criticism.